Say what?

Pregnancy gurus say that since by now (4-5 months) the tomato-sized offspring has already developed the capacity to hear, one should regularly talk to it. Apparently it enjoys hearing the sound of its mother's voice. None the worse, the father is likewise urged to undertake discussions with his wife's expanded stomach. What the books don't caution, however, is that great consideration should be given to one's surroundings lest one's sanity is called into question.

One of a kind

Perhaps there's little reason to state this, but just for the record, I wish my twins to be as individualistic as two children born years apart. I'm actually elated that we're having both at once rather than separately. The immediate doubling of our homestead and the destined challenge of the months ahead are equally exciting. I may be 'in for it', but good--life's been coasting down Easy Street for long enough. Our routine needs a shake-up.

There is a tendency to view new twins as Parts 1 and 2 of a highly-anticipated event, and not as two children that happen to arrive on the same day. And so then come the identical clothes and toys and room decor, varying perhaps only in color or personalized name. As if it's so precious to squeeze the newborns into matching pajamas, wrap their tiny arms around identical stuffed giraffes, sit them for the camera, and paste the photo on a twins blog or ship it out to grandma. OK, I'll admit, it may be cute up to a certain age (the twins', not the grandma's). But once the first teeth appear (and long after grandma's disappear) and they start to resemble humans more than cabbage patch dolls, let's try to forget that they share a birthday and start to deem A&B as A&Z.

Babies need a new pair of shoes--make that two

Today I realized that having twins means having two human babies. Not just two of them, but one baby, and then another baby! No one had quite explained this properly. I'm starting to see that with two kids, with a total of four feet, two heads, and presumed clothing needs for both, we'll be pacing up and down the store aisles from sun-up to drop dead.

I was at the Prime Outlets with Sylvia, Glen and Ethan this afternoon. Junior was in need of footwear. After a few false starts, mom and dad found a fetching pair of Nikes and slipped them on his plump flippers. Of course, baby's expression remained unchanged--if it's not a clean diaper or warm bottle of Canadian formula, he's not impressed.

But when you have two Ethans, this shopping experience does not end so soon. A second pair has to be found for female Baby2. And it can't be the same orange swoosh on navy, size 4 that Baby1 was awarded. The other pair must have something pink in it, or yellow flowers, or sparkly shoelaces. So it's not the money that worries me--it's the doubling of the length of each shopping trip that'll hit home the true implication of two fertilized eggs.

More blurry photos

This afternoon we had another visit with the professionals at Winnie Palmer. These are the 'high-risk' docs--meaning the uninsured leave the hospital with a high risk of an astronomical bill. Also, they happen to excel at spotting problems with twin pregnancies as their equipment is primo quality.

Our visit today consisted of a 45 minute ultrasound and a follow up discussion with Dr. Humphries (Dr. Locksmith, who did the last exam, was unavailable; no doubt he was trudging through the swamps of the Congo selflessly volunteering his expertise to the neediest of the needy). Here are the only two scans deserving of distribution on the world wide web. That handsome leg at right belongs to Twin B. The doctor assures us that there is a body attached to it. A perfectly shaped appendage, suitable for modeling Nike's new AirFetus basketball shoe.

The second photo represents Twin A and selected parts thereof. We're told she has her hands up by her head, as these youngsters are known to do.

Neither twin was facing in the right direction for a profile view, so these are as good as it got today. Doc's analysis of the ultrasounds was all positive. She sees no abnormalities, and states that the risk of Down Syndrome is 1:1000--very low. They each weigh 9 ounces, slightly ahead of their 18-week pace.

Our next Winnie Palmer visit is March 20.

Spreading the news

I've been hesitant to release the news of the impending event to most acquaintances as well as to immediate family. Of course, by now, they are aware, and so are a dozen or so of Kelly's and a handful of my friends. I'm not going to say that deep down I feel like our news is just that--personal business, to be disseminated in small increments as we, and if we, see fit. I do not believe that. Mostly, I feel that proclaiming the pregnancy now is akin to popping a champagne cork at halftime. This eight- or nine-month journey is fraught with worry, constant attention to daily behavior (well, for Kelly), and ingestion of an abundance of advice, some of it conflicting. So, though I'm pleased as punch that to now everything is just swell, the continuous uncertainty suppresses my excitement. And thus my disinclination to hire a Fuji blimp with a scrolling message alerting our congressional district of the good news.

Back in the U.S.A.

Late last night we arrived at OIA after a miserable day of travel, capped off by Kelly's deposit into a vomit bag during our Montreal-Philadelphia flight. The captain apologized for the 'rough patch' of turbulence we experienced; though as it lasted nearly half the time we were airborne I find the characterization of it as a 'patch' a bit offensive.

All in all, we enjoyed our week. Photos will be posted on Picasa/Google shortly.

The Twins seemed to have a pleasant stay. No telling, though, as they were rather quiet the whole time. For all the sights we took them to, they could've shared at least an opinion or two. How could they have stayed indifferent to the magnificence of Montreal's Napoleon III-style City Hall!? And not a peep of reverent admiration of the breathtaking wood carvings inside the mid-18th century Basilica of Notre Dame! Sometimes I wonder why we even take them anywhere. And now they'll get to spend eight miserable hours a day at Orlando Regional's HR office; this ought to give them plenty of time to reflect and appreciate what we do for them.

P.S.
Kelly had another visit with Dr. Crofoot this morning. He confirmed the genders as male & female. All appears well. No ultrasounds, however.